Happy New Year to every blessed one of ya!
As always it’s taken me far too long to get the listings together, but I’ve finally come up with some quality nights of entertainment. Not only do we feature some of Britain’s biggest page and stage acts, but we are featuring some sparkling debuts from previous open mikers that the audiences have wanted to see get their own full set.
An open mike is available on the night , but I have to specify that new poets and poets that didn’t read at the previous show will be prioritised.
Anyway, cast your eye down on this fine roster of talent, switch off your brand new 50 inch plasma screen and get down to a real nights quality viewing at the Poetry Café!
The Cellar,
Every Saturday at The Poetry Cafe, 7.30pm
22 Betterton Street
Covent Garden Tube
£5/3concs
Saturday 7th January
Jacob Sam La-Rose- One of London’s best loved performance poets reads from his imminent and long awaited first collection. Delicious verse with hard and soft centres.
Graham Buchan- Writer of one of the few decent cat poems in existence and current Cellar Slam Champion. Punchy, funny, smoothly delivered.
Dorna Azlanzadeh- Bold, cutting, humour that hurts. Incisive poetry that deftly dissects the customs and clichés of sexual politics.
Saturday 14th January
Niall McDevitt- Bodhrain bashing Blake of bedsitland. A dazzling blend of bardism, pigeon, worldly humour, contemporary grit.
Ebele- Warm, empowering, irresistible poetry that subtly maps her African roots within the bustling London cityscape.
Raymond Blake- Brilliantly barbed poetry that evokes the withheld anger of the individual in the big bad city. Often witty, and surprisingly touching.
Saturday 21st January
John Stammers- Previous forward prize winner and current T.S Eliot nominee, his boundless imagination and his keen eye for colloquial and urban detail has made him
one of Britain’s most important poets.
Kat Francois- Current BBC3 and World Slam Champion, as well as a nominee for the first ever major prize for British performance poetry, come and see how this bold and powerful performer has dazzled audiences around the world.
Julian Fox- Star of Radio 4’s ‘On a Lonely Planet’ treats us to brand new material from his forthcoming radio and stage shows. Humorous, mumbled sermons from the church of contemporary consumerism.
Saturday 28th January
Lucy English- Ruling poetic queen of the Bristol scene, a true performance poetry pioneer. Expect touching monologues about family and rural life, and surreal meditations on life as a porn movie…
Dean Wilson- Very funny rhymes with a Northern twist, yearning meditations on love, sex and the beauty of Patsy Cline blasting form the jukebox of a smoky bar.
Jay Bernard- Previous Respect Slam winner and a hot tip for future greatness, captivating , detailed poetry that softly snags and captivates the listener.
Hello All,
Well, here is the menu for December, we’ve got some of our strongest ever bills to bring the year to a close, hope to see you there. Wishing you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year,
Niall
The Cellar
7.30pm £5/3
Every Saturday at The Poetry Café
22 Betterton Street
Covent Garden Tube
Hosted by Niall O’Sullivan
Floorspots available on the night
Saturday 3rd December
Hugo Williams- Previous T.S. Eliot and Queens Gold Medal winner, reads his brilliantly accessible verse, a must see set from one of Britain’s biggest poets.
Zena Edwards- Recently nominated for the first ever British prize for performance poetry. Multi- talented and always compelling.
Neema Mawiyoo- A debut set from a hot new talent, a little bird tells me it may be her birthday too.
Saturday 10th December-
Roddy Lumsden- One of Britain’s best loved poets, incurable romanticism at its sharpest!
Patricia Foster- Warm, detailed stories laced with humour, drama and the unpredictable.
John Berkavitch- Leicester’s most versatile b-boy, an image of the future set in 1989!
Saturday 17th December
Nii Parkes- Immensely talented and prolific, London’s biggest champion of African poetry returns with his sensual, politicised verse.
Rachel Pantechnicon- Choicest cuts from the Elf shelf, sublime AND ridiculous!